Telephone attachment



(No Model.) 2 Sheets+Sheet 1.

S. 0. HOUGHTON.- TELEPHONE ATTACHMENT.

No. 586,793. Patented July 20, 1897.

I la 7% a wnsmusmu n L (No Model. 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. S. 0. HOUGHTON.TELEPHONE ATTACHMENT.

No. 586,793. Patented July 20,1897.

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN C. IIOUGIITON, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

TELEPHONE ATTACHM ENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 586,793, dated July 20,1897.

Application filed. June 15, 1897.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STEPHEN O. HOUGHTON, a citizen of the United States,residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State ofCalifornia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inTelephone Attachments; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to telephone-supports, and particularly toadjustable and movable supports, in connection with novel means forcontrolling electrical connections by ad j usting said supports.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a telephone-station. Fig. 2is a side View of a modified form of arm for supporting the receiver.Fig. 3 is a detail plan view, partly in section, of the pivoted supportand the contacts controlled thereby. Fig. 4 is a plan view of part ofFig. 1, showing the receiver. Fig. 5 is a side view showing theinvention applied to a portable instrument. Fig. 6 is a plan of asection on lineacwof Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a plan of a section on line 3 yof Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing how the device may beadapted for use with an ordinary hand-receiver.

In Fig. 1 the transmitter 1, the signal 2, and the supporting-board 3are represented as of ordinary form. Above the trans1nitter-support abracket I is attached to the board 3, and an arm 5 is pivotallysupported in ears 6 of this bracket. The arm extends forwardly over thetransmitter, and it carries at its outer end the receiver '7. The armcan swing in a horizontal plane, and it comprises telescopic sections 89 and a section 10, pivoted to the section 9 so as to swing in avertical plane. The receiver is connected to the section 10 of the armby a bracket 11, the shank 12 of which (dotted lines, Fig. 4) isswiveled in a socket in the arm-section 10 by a pinand-grooveconnection. From this construction and arrangement of the supporting-armand swiveled connecting-bracket the receiver has a universal adjustmentand may be moved to suit different persons. Thus it may be moved toeither the right or left from over the transmitter, which is its normalposition. It may be moved up or down, and by turning it in its swiveledsocket it may be reversed to Serial No. 640,874. (No model.)

fit against either ear or to stand at any desired inclination. It mayalso be drawn outwardly from or moved inwardly toward the transmitter byadjusting the telescopic sections.

In Fig. 2 I show an arm provided with an additional joint at 14 byforming a fork on one section of the arm and pivoting the other sectionthereto, a binding-screw 15 being used to hold the sections in. anydesired angular position. This form of support is also telescopic. Thecircuitwires extend along the supporting arm through the eyes 13 andthrough the swiveled bracket. The normal position of the receiver deviceis at right angles to the board 3 and over the transmitter. It is heldin this position by a U-shaped spring 10, held by a screw 17 within thebracket 4, the sides of the spring being slightly flared and embracing aspherical knob 18 on a short arm 19, extending from the end of thereceiver-supporting arm, in rear of the pivot thereof.

On each side of the U shaped spring a 0011- tact-spring 20 is located,being held within the bracket by a bolt 21, insulated from the bracketby the ferrule Circuit-wires 23, 24., and connect with the U-shapedspring and contact-springs, respectively. In using the instrument thereceiver-supporting arm is swung aside, which causes the short arm 19and knob to move laterally, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 3, thusmoving one side of the U-shaped spring into engagement with thecontactsprin g and closing the bell-circuit to give the signal at thecentral office. The user at the same time adjusts the receiver to hiscar by mani pulatin gthe telescopic, jointed, and swiveled parts, and heis then ready to send or receive the message.

The U-shaped spring not only serves as a means for returning the pivotedarm to normal position over the transmitter, but it exerts sufficienttension on the arm to hold the receiver against the ear. Further, bymoving the arm aside into a certain position the spring will hold itthere, its pressure being then exerted in the longitudinal line of thesupport and its fulcrum to keep the line open without requiring the userto hold the arm by hand. A hole may be formed in the spring to receivethe spherical knob.

By the jointed arm of Fig. 2 the receiver may be set so as to standnormally to one side of the vertical plane passing longitudinallythrough the transmitter, so as to be in position for use, and in thiscase the same U-shaped form of spring is used to hold the parts in thisnormal position, and in order to close the bell-circuit it would only benecessary to move the arm a little farther to one side to make the Ushaped spring engage the contactspring.

Fig. 5 shows the invention applied to a portable instrument, thetransmitter being carried in an arm 26, pivoted to the stand 27, whilethe receiver-supporting arm is jointed to and carried by a rock-shaft orstandard 28, journaled in brackets 29 on the stand 27 and having lateralextensions 30 31, working between spring-plates 32 33, supported fromthe brackets 29. The rock-shaft or standard is returned to andmaintained in normal posi tion with the receiver-arm centrally CV61 thetransmitter by a spring 34, coiled about the rocleshaft, engaging thesame at one end and being held by the bracket 29 at its other end. Thespring-plates 32 have notches 35 to receive the end of the lateralextension 30 of the rock-shaft for holding said shaft with itsreceiving-arm in its adjusted position laterally of the transmitter. Thecircuit connections for the signal are made with the other set ofspring-plates 33, with which the arm 31 contacts.

In Fig. 8 I show means whereby the invention may be used as anattachment for instruments as now put up. In this case thereceiver-supporting arm would have the same telescopic and jointedfeatures above described, and the receiver would be hung upon its hook,as at the present time. The receiversupporting arm would be attached tothe instrument as above described; but its free end would carry across-bar or bracket 37, pivoted in a fork thereof and having a pair ofhooks 38. In using this attachment the ordinary hand-receiver would betaken down from its hook and placed horizontally in the hooks 38, withits open end either to the right or left, as desired, and then the armwould be adjusted to bring the receiver properly against the ear. Thebell-circuit in this instance would be closed automatically simply bytaking the hand-receiver off of its springhook for placing it in thehooks 38.

In all the forms described it will be noticed that the receiver isreversible and is carried by a bracket movably connected with the mainsupporting-arm.

From the above it will be seen that the receiver is capable of auniversal adjustment, and the supporting-arm, while adapted to hold thereceiver rigidly in position for use, has sufficient flexibility topermit the free and complete adjustment of the receiver.

1 claim 1. In combination with a support for a telephone-receivermovable laterally in two directions and having a swiveled section forsupporting and reversing said receiver, duplicate electrical contacts,and means carried by said support for making either of said contacts byadjusting said arm in the appropriate lateral direction.

2. In a telephone, a supporting-bracket, a receiver-support connectedadjustably thereto, a two-branch contact, two adjacent springcontaots,and a projection from the receiver support adapted by the adjustment ofthe latter to cause one of said branches to make contact with theadjacent spring.

3. In combination in a telephone, a transmitter, a receiver, areceiver-supporting arm movably supported, a projection carried by saidarm and contact-springs on each side of said projection, substantiallyas described.

4. In combination with a pivoted laterallyadjustable telephone-support,a projection forming one arm of a lever of which said support is theother arm, and a two-branched spring embracing said projection andholding it in normal position, and arranged so that a sufficient lateraladjustment of the support in either direction will lock said support byproducing a dead-line of resistance to the spring-pressure through thefulcrum of said lever.

5. In combination with an adjustable pivoted telephone-support having aprojection forming one arm of a lever of which said support is the otherarm, a spring bearing upon said projection and holding it in normalposition, and an elastic electrical contact adjacent to said spring;whereby a sufficient lateral adjustment of the support will lock saidspring and contact by producing a dead-line of resistance through thefulcrum of said lever, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature, in presence of twowitnesses, this 21st day of May, 1897.

STEPHEN C. IIOUGIITON.

YVitnesses:

M. R. SEELY, H. J. LANG.

